CHARLOTTE HALL, Md. – On Wednesday, May 10, the Maryland State Spending Board and Department of Veterans Affairs approved a new $159 million deal with Pruitthealth, a Georgia-based family-owned healthcare organization. The four-year contract assigns the company the task of managing the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home, Maryland’s only long-term veteran care facility.
Charlotte Hall has become one of the almost 200 senior care facilities managed by Pruitthealth and the first facility the company will manage in the state of Maryland.
The decision to grant Pruitthealth this contract comes after Governor Moore fired the previous contractor HMR of Maryland LLC after allegations of abuse and neglect were made public.
The hiring of Pruitthealth has some concerned though, mainly due to the company’s own controversial history with allegations of abuse and neglect.
According to reviews, 17 of their facilities in Georgia have an average of one out of five stars, while three of their North Carolina facilities have confirmed incidents of abuse.
These abuse incidents include a staff member hitting a patient and giving them a black eye at a NC facility. As for neglect, an incident three years ago in a GA facility saw a male patient with dementia who was allowed to sexually abuse other patients with dementia.
Pruitthealth homes have also racked up more than $1.2 million in fines for inspection violations. They also were forced to pay over $4 million in a lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Justice. This suit alleged that the company was Medicare and Medicaid claims.
“Did they really look into this out of state corporation they had no experience with to make sure that chain would do a good job for Maryland veterans and their families?”, asked Toby Edelman, senior policy analyst for the Center for Medicare Advocacy.
A spokesperson for Governor Moore, Carter Elliott IV, issued a statement on behalf of the governor regarding his decision.
“PruittHealth emerged as the strongest contender. Especially given their experience not only operating veteran retirement homes, but also in stepping in to right similar situations.”
Three out of four veteran facilities run by Pruitthealth in North Carolina currently have four star ratings and are highly regarded by the state.
The Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs posted the following update on May 18:
Who is the new contractor taking over the management contract at Charlotte Hall?
On May 10, the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs signed a new contract with PruittHealth, an organization with more than 50 years of experience providing quality health care. PruittHealth is a family-owned organization and manages more than 105 nursing homes and 6 veterans homes throughout Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Ten of their locations were recently recognized as a Best Nursing Home for 2022-23 by U.S. News & World Report. All the veterans’ homes under PruittHealth management are recipients of The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for meeting the highest safety and quality health care standards. The department is continuing to work in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Maryland Department of Health, and St. Mary’s County Health Department to ensure a smooth transition from the current management contractor to a new one.
PruittHealth is committed to retaining as much staff as possible during this transition, ensuring that nursing staff are able to maintain relationships with their residents and patients. PruittHealth will take over management of Charlotte Hall on June 6, 2023.
Is Charlotte Hall open to new admissions?
Charlotte Hall is continuing operations. During this transition period, however, Charlotte Hall is not receiving new admissions until PruittHealth is in place. When we feel sufficient progress has been made in improving performance, we will reopen admissions.
Will Charlotte Hall residents have to move or reapply for admission?
No, residents will not have to move or reapply for admission to Charlotte Hall. The Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs is committed to ensuring a seamless transition between service providers and caregivers for residents.
Will quality evaluations continue?
Yes – PruittHealth will be conducting their own baseline wellness assessments of the residents. When PruittHealth takes over the management of a nursing home, they implement a triage approach to turning a facility around. This means they deal with the safety and well-being of the residents first and foremost, then staff education and other pressing matters. Care and safety of the residents always comes first.
Who can I contact if I have questions?
Reach out to Cathy Attick, Quality Assurance Nurse: catherine.attick@maryland.gov
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
Sounds sketchy to me
What the hell! our veterans deserve the best. Do we not have someone in our own state for this job.We just got rid of a cancer and we bring another in? Gov. Moore you should be ashamed.